Students should apply now to Richardson, Rodriguez or Chavez I.B. Program

San Bernardino City Unified School District (SBCUSD) parents whose children will be attending middle school next school year have several options. They may decide to let their children attend their home school, or they may apply to have their children attend the very successful Richardson PREP HI Middle School and Rodriguez PREP Academy Middle School or the International Baccalaureate Middle Years Program at Chavez Middle School.

Students must be eligible to apply. All applications to participate in these programs for the 2018–2019 school year must be completed and post-marked on or before November 17, 2017. Applications may also be dropped off at the SBCUSD Secondary Education Department, 4030 Georgia Boulevard in San Bernardino, before 4 p.m. on Friday, November 17.

Richardson was recently named a National Blue Ribbon School for the second time. Students attending this school are not placed according to attendance boundaries. Eligible students must apply to attend Richardson PREP HI, and only students who meet the criteria will be entered into a lottery.

Rodriguez PREP Academy serves students in grades four through eight with a curriculum and educational philosophy similar to that of Richardson PREP HI. Rodriguez was named a California Distinguished School in 2011 and its students have consistently scored above state targets on standardized tests. Fourth- and fifth-grade students attend Rodriguez based on the school’s attendance boundaries. Eligible students must apply to attend in grades six, seven, and eight.

The International Baccalaureate (I.B.) program offers students a world-renowned education leading to an I.B. Diploma, which is recognized by colleges and universities across the country and around the world. Students who successfully complete the I.B. Middle Years Program at Chavez will be better prepared to enroll in the I.B. Diploma Program at Cajon High School or Arroyo Valley High School.

Parents of eligible students may submit applications for their child to attend one or all of these programs. Admission will be determined by a random lottery drawing of all qualified applicants. Even if a child’s name is drawn for multiple programs, each child will only be accepted into one school.

To qualify for admission in any of the programs, students must live within the San Bernardino City Unified School District attendance boundaries. They must also have earned Standard Nearly Met or better in both English-language arts and math on the most current California standardized test, have no more than 15 unexcused absences during the prior and current school year, maintained acceptable behavior during the prior and current school year, and been promoted to the next grade without consideration.

The random drawing will be held on Thursday, December 7 at the Board of Education Community Room, located at 777 North F Street in San Bernardino. The drawing times will be at 4 p.m. for Chavez I.B. Middle Years Program, 5 p.m. for Rodriguez PREP Academy, and 6 p.m. for Richardson PREP HI. Students and parents need not be present at the drawing. Parents will receive official letters with their child’s lottery number.